2012-13 Call for Participation

1. 2012-13 Call for Participation Improve the lives of girls across the globe with technology and engineering careers.

2. Call to Action Support IGNITE’s mission to address the lack of female leaders in science and technology fields by inspiring a new generation and dispelling stereotypes. IGNITE seeks to improve the lives of girls domestically and internationally by exposing them to the excitement of careers in science and technology. AGENDA: Problem Statement IGNITE’s Model Business Case Getting Involved

3. Where are the women? From the NCWIT 2010 Scorecard The only STEM disciplines to see greater than 50% female representation at the college level are the biological/biomedical sciences. All other STEM fields are disproportionately male, with the largest gap in Computer Science and Engineering. All STEM fields above are showing a plateau or drop in female participation.

4. Where are the women? From NCWIT By The Numbers 2009 Computer science in particular is a weak spot in STEM gender equity, and the outlook for female leadership in Fortune 500 tech companies is very bleak. At the same time, the US will be unable to fill the demand for computer science job openings in coming years.

5. Where are the women? What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science? New York Times / November 15, 2008 ‘Justine Cassell identifies another explanation for the drop in interest, which is linked to the pejorative figure of the “nerd” or “geek.” She said that this school of thought was: “Girls and young women don’t want to be that person.”’

6. Where are the women? Why Girls Don't Want Careers In Tech Fast Company/ November 30, 2011 “Instead of boring them to death, we should be introducing our young women to exciting cutting-edge skills like coding, software development, and games design at an early age and showing them that a career in technology is more about creating and building than it is about number crunching. Only then will we start to see a much needed influx of bright young women in the industry.”

7. Stereotypes Matter Marissa Mayer, Google’s first female engineer: “…[girls] don’t want to become the stereotype of all-night coders, hackers with pasty skin.” Ken Auletta, The New Yorker (July 11, 2011) “Hollywood also deserves some of the blame. Several female computer-science majors at Stanford pointed to the depiction of women in films like “The Social Network,” where the boys code and the girls dance around in their underwear.”

8. Making a Difference ‘Social Vaccine’ Protects Women’s Interest in Science Lab Manager Magazine, February 24, 2011 “Increasing the visibility of female scientists, engineers and mathematicians, and providing young women who are beginners in these disciplines the opportunity to have personal contact with them, profoundly benefits their self perception in STEM.” “The women subjects tried harder on difficult math tests, showed more positive attitudes toward math and engineering, identified with these disciplines more strongly and felt more empowered about their ability to do well in the future after being exposed to female scientists and engineers rather than males .”

9. A Simple Solution Provide girls with real-life role models who can dispel stereotypes and explain the diverse, creative opportunities provided by science and technology careers. The solution is…

10. IGNITE’s Model:A Decade of Proven Success

11. Why IGNITE Is Needed IGNITE has successfully inspired thousands of girls to consider careers in science and technology in the past 10 years.

12. Thousands of Lives Changed “It was through IGNITE that I found out about intro computer science courses at Garfield High School and XBOT Robotics, both of which have opened so many doors for me. Thank you so much again, and I hope you continue to expose many more girls to STEM and change their lives, like you did for me.” QuynhHuynh Student, University of Washington Intended Major: Computer Science

13. IGNITE Chapters Seattle High Schools: • Ballard HS • Center HS • Chief Sealth HS • Cleveland HS • Franklin HS • Garfield HS • Nathan Hale HS • Ingraham HS • Rainier Beach HS • Roosevelt HS • West Seattle HS • South Lake HS Seattle Middle Schools: • Broadview-Thompson K-8 • Eckstein Middle School • South Shore K-8 Colleges: Seattle Central Community College Spokane Community College Other WA Chapters: Marysville School District Bethell School District (3 chapters) International: • Nigeria • Ghana Countries seeking chapters: • India • Libya • England …and more

14. Changing Lives in Nigeria and Ghana

15. By the Numbers In Seattle alone, IGNITE reached over 10,000 students by 2009. Worldwide, IGNITE has reached over 20,000 students in its over 10-year history. A single IGNITE chapter reaches from 40-200 girls a year for just a few thousand dollars in total costs (including chapter administration, field trip costs, panel lunches, etc.) There are over a dozen active chapters in the Seattle Public Schools district.

16. Our well- developed curriculum includes panel discussions with professional women, field trips, workshops, conferences, job shadows, and more.

17. Our Program Volunteer Professionals IGNITE Chapter Panel Discussions Job Shadows Mentorship Curriculum Conferences Peer Support Companies & Partners Female Students Field Trips Workshops Scholarships

18. IGNITE’s board and volunteer core is composed of passionate women (and men) from a multitude of companies and technical disciplines. Photo: IGNITE’s first annual “Brighter Future” fundraising walk, June 2011

19. History: IGNITE’s Success Story Spring 2002: Cisco Gender Initiative Award($25,000 grant) 2002 - 2003: Girls outnumber boys in two of three technologyclasses at Ingraham High Summer 2004: 66% of high school internships at Microsoft filled by IGNITE girls June 2007: IGNITE receives top national Award from Programs and Practices that Work project 2006 - 2007: WA and CA states add chapters Idaho brings IGNITE to 50 schools Schools in Accra, Ghana adopt IGNITE State of Virginia pilots 7 chapters

20. Awards & Recognition for IGNITE 2007 Recipient of ACTE’s “Patterns and Practices that Work” award Seattle Public Schools’ IGNITE program won ACTE’s “Programs and Practices that Work” TOP HONORS in 2007. IGNITE was recognized at ACTE, NASDCTEc, and NAPE conferences as well as during a briefing for the U.S. Congress and media on Capitol Hill.

21. Awards & Recognition for IGNITE Nurturing New Leaders Because tech geekery is too often considered a male domain, Seattle's Cathi Rodgveller saw an opportunity to change that. She founded the IGNITE program, Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution, which uses technology, math and science training to give young women a true chance to wade into male-dominated fields and find a safe space to be themselves.

22. Awards & Recognition for IGNITE World of Difference 100 2011 Winner “The State Department has identified IGNITE as a representative model for educators around the world attempting to increase female STEM representation. Cathi regularly meets with international delegations as part of this effort… IGNITE is reaching out to educators in Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Libya, England and Egypt in addition to their continued work in the United States.” (link to award winner profiles)

23. IGNITE’s Growing Influence October 11, 2010: IGNITE hosted the International Visitor Leadership Program including participants from 25 countries plus 4 State Department staff members. 2010: US Department of State

24. Our Partners Teaching Kids Programming: IGNITE is the TKP Implementation Partner for the Puget Sound region, making TKP workshops available to our students. Cascades Science Center: Negotiating school visit programs to conduct 3hr hands-on science workshops with students. DigiPen Institute of Technology: Student participation in workshops Additional pending partnerships with local companies including Valve Software

25. The Case for Involvement:Building Our Future

26. Growing Your Company Why invest in the future of young girls in science and technology? In a 2001 study, Pepperdine University researchers found that measured as a percent of revenues, profits at Fortune 500 firms that most aggressively promoted women were 34 percent higher than industry medians. “One recent study determined that women in senior management had an especially positive impact on firms involved in research and development.”

27. Growing Your Company Why invest in the future of young girls in science and technology? We target girls in high school and college, who will be hitting the job market in 4-6 years. Companies (like Microsoft) who support IGNITE get a headstart with these girls. Many IGNITE girls graduate with aspirations of working at the companies represented by panelists and sponsors. Make inroads with top talented women before they hit the job market by supporting IGNITE.

28. Current Sponsors • Seattle Public Schools:Infrastructure and Development Sponsors • Ms. Rodgveller’s FTE Salary (80%) • Perkins Grant funding for programs in Seattle School District • Administrative Support • Organizational Sponsorship • Scholarships • Event Sponsorship • (Field Trips to Microsoft Campus) IGNITE Gold Sponsor

29. Get Involved:Join the IGNITE family

30. Our Most Urgent Need IGNITE’s staff costs to date (1 FTE, Cathi Rodgveller, M.S. Ed) have been covered by budget from Seattle Public Schools. Due to continued cuts in educational funding including Perkins grants, IGNITE is in dire need of organizational sponsors to ensure our existence and continue our work across the world.

31. Organizational Sponsorship Ensure the continued existence and growth of IGNITE on a global level Sponsorship Levels (per year): $1,000: Bronze Sponsor $5,000: Silver Sponsor $10,000: Gold Sponsor $20,000+: Platinum Sponsor Contributions of all amounts are needed at the organizational level to enable us to improve our curriculum and to support districts that cannot afford to support their own chapters. IGNITE is a 501(c) educational nonprofit organization. Partner recognition: Varies per level, Inquire for more information.

32. Chapter Sponsorship Create a lasting relationship with a school Sponsor the creation or continuation of an IGNITE chapter at a middle school, high school, or college. All that is required is a faculty sponsor and the financial support to provide materials to the new chapter. Chapter administration costs: (Single school) First year: $1000 Subsequent years: $500 Administration costs include the curriculum materials and consulting support from IGNITE founder Cathi Rodgveller. Partner recognition: At every chapter event and on the national IGNITE website (chapters page)

33. Scholarship Sponsorship Motivate students and create a relationship with top students Enable a talented, motivated student to pursue higher education with a targeted scholarship grant. Recipients can have a lasting relationship with your company, and all applicants will gain greater familiarity with your brand. Minimum recommended investment is $1500 per scholarship. IGNITE will craft selection criteria and handle selection, award and award distribution. The scholarship and the corporate partner will be promoted on the IGNITE website, Facebook group, and in outreach newsletters

34. IGNITE/Microsoft scholarship recipient TugbaHaklidir accepting her award at the Brighter Future Fundraising Walk in June 2011.

35. Event Sponsorship Small, targeted investments can go a long way Companies can sponsor individual field trips or panel events. Send representatives to talk about working at your company, or bring the girls to you and create a lasting impression. Typical field trip costs for one IGNITE chapter (40-100 girls): $250: Substitute Teacher $250: Bus Transportation $275: Pizza lunch • Other opportunities: • Sponsor a trip to a conference or career fair • Sponsor a workshop at a chapter school Partner recognition: During the event and in monthly IGNITE newsletter after the event

36. Contact Information Thank you!

37. Appendix: Supporting Information

38. IGNITE’s Board of Directors

39. IGNITE’s Growing Influence 2010: U.S. Department of State Damon V. Woods Program Officer Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs United States Department of State “What you are working on is a policy concern of President Obama and Secretary Clinton.  Engaging young women in the sciences and giving them the opportunity to explore and understand this option is key.”

40. IGNITE’s Growing Influence 2010: White House Office of Science and Technology Policy International Science Teachers Tour U.S. Cities, Schools, as Part of “New Beginning” “These programs add tremendous value across the board. In this example, the delegation will bring the perspective of nearly 25 countries to U.S. scientists and educators and foster new connections that will ultimately help all nations meet their STEM education goals.” Posted by Jason Rao on September 27, 2010 at 03:06 PM EST Senior Policy Analyst White House Office of Science And Technology Policy